Researchers find way to extend newspapers’ reach

From lining dog kennels to plastering wet sidewalks, the newspaper’s fate is more often than not a lowly one. But Tulane University researchers may have found a more heroic role for yesterday’s news.
Tulane University scientists have discovered a new bacterial strain that breaks down newspaper and turns it into biofuel. The scientists have successfully used the strain to break down old editions of The Times-Picayune into butanol, a biofuel that can serve as a substitute for gasoline.
David Mullin, associate professor of molecular biology and microbiology at Tulane and leader of the project, said in a statement that the finding could provide a cheap and effective way to produce bio-butanol.